Moreover, for the lead article of each story cluster, Google News will also show that reporter's profile picture and enables readers to add them to their Google+ circles right from the Google News homepage. Check it out:

Is this a popularity contest? Absolutely. Is it self-serving? Of course it is. But it's an ingenious way to entice those journalists who aren't showing Google+ love to use Google+.

This could seriously boost reporters' exposure. What self-respecting journo doesn't love that notion?

Count me in. Sign me up. I did, or at least I tried. Google is offering journos two ways to create the link between Google+ and Google News:

I picked option 1, which is new, because the second option involves applying code snippets. Who wants to do that when I can simply conduct a handful of mouse clicks, type in my email address and click Save. So that's what I did.

Google will supposedly send a verification message to my Ziff Davis email address, whereupon I'll be able to verify it to link my Google+ account with my work email to have my profile pop up in stories that surface on Google News. Very exciting!

This is the latest of many integrations between Google+ and the company's Web services, including most recently Google Apps, YouTube, Search, Google Maps and Google Reader, among other apps.